Southern Asia
Afghanistan
Absolute number
Prevalence
Married by 15: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 15
Married by 18: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 18
Prevalence of child marriage
- Afghanistan
- Southern Asia
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Afghanistan and Southern Asia from 1998 to 2024.
In Afghanistan, 46% of girls in 1998 married before age 18, compared with 29% in 2023, which is the latest available value.
In Southern Asia, the prevalence was 53% in 1999 and was 26% in 2024.
Show data table
| Year | Afghanistan | Southern Asia |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 46.3% | |
| 1999 | 53.1% | |
| 2003 | 50.4% | |
| 2004 | 49.5% | |
| 2008 | 45.4% | |
| 2009 | 45.9% | |
| 2013 | 36.7% | |
| 2014 | 38.6% | |
| 2018 | 33.5% | |
| 2019 | 31.8% | |
| 2023 | 28.7% | |
| 2024 | 25.6% |
Afghanistan
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Afghanistan
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Afghanistan in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Afghanistan. See the range of values within the country, and explore the map for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Afghanistan
Understand differences
inside the country
Region with no data
2023
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Afghanistan in 2023
Region with no data
2023
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Afghanistan in 2023
The map shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Afghanistan. Data refer to 2023, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in Ghor (50%), Farah (50%), Nimroz (49%), and Faryab (49%).
Show data table
| Year | Badakhshan | Badghis | Baghlan | Balkh | Bamyan | Daykundi | Farah | Faryab | Ghazni | Ghor | Hilmand | Hirat | Jawzjan | Kabul | Kandahar | Kapisa | Khost | Kunar | Kunduz | Laghman | Logar | Maidan Wardak | Nangarhar | Nimroz | Nuristan | Paktika | Paktya | Panjsher | Parwan | Samangan | Sar-E-Pul | Takhar | Uruzgan | Zabul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.1% | 48.2% | 24.9% | 20.1% | 23.9% | 30.2% | 49.6% | 48.6% | 31.9% | 50.1% | 37.0% | 40.0% | 30.1% | 13.7% | 31.2% | 15.6% | 29.6% | 33.6% | 33.3% | 25.5% | 13.9% | 18.5% | 20.6% | 48.6% | 33.8% | 30.8% | 9.5% | 11.1% | 24.2% | 33.9% | 34.7% | 20.5% | 24.1% | 38.0% |
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How does Afghanistan compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Afghanistan
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Afghanistan from 1998 to 2023.
In Afghanistan, 46% of girls in 1998 married before age 18, compared with 29% in 2023, which is the latest available value.
Residence
Child marriage prevalence
Review the data to find if girls living in rural areas are more likely to marry in childhood than girls in urban areas
The bubble chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) disaggregated by residence in Afghanistan. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Afghanistan, 29% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 32% of girls in rural areas, compared with 20% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
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Where does child marriage occur?
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